NBA awaits LeBron James decision

LeBron James' future will be announced tonight (EPA)

The most high profile free agent in sports history, LeBron James, is set to announce on Thursday where he will be playing next season.

The decision of the NBA star, who has won the league’s last two Most Valuable Player awards, will reportedly be aired live on ESPN in America and the UK at 2am on Thursday evening/Friday morning.

Questions marks surrounding the future of the 6ft 8in small forward began two years ago as teams started clearing cap room to prepare themselves for a 2010 move for the high-flying 25-year-old.

James has played the first seven years of his NBA career for the Cleveland Cavaliers who are one of the clubs jostling for his signature. Other franchises to have pitched to the man nicknamed ‘The King’ include the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls.

The news of James’ plan to announce his decision on Thursday came hours before news broke that fellow All Stars and US Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh look set to sign with the Miami Heat.

Wade, the league’s fifth leading scorer, has played for Miami for the last seven seasons but like James was an unrestricted free agent this summer. Chris Bosh was drafted in 2003 and the super-skilled power forward has played for the Toronto Raptors since then.